Gear Guide, part three: Gear for the mobile

28.11.2008

Briggs & Riley's Family Backpack

Who says high-end luggage companies are old-fashioned? The folks at Briggs & Riley must have spent some vacation time with today's tech-obsessed families, as the Family Backpack combines executive style with parent-practical design. Incorporating 2520D ballistic nylon (the "self-repairing" kind), heavy-duty zippers, and soft twill lining over a thin layer of padding, this pack should stand up to abuse on the outside while keeping your belongings safe inside. Thick, comfortable shoulder straps and mesh-covered padding on the back make the backpack easy to carry; it also mounts on the telescoping handle of any rolling case. But what makes the Family Backpack unique is its organizational system. A padded pouch fits a portable DVD player or game system; a large main area holds clothes, books, and toys; and countless smaller pockets, inside and out, let you store diapers, bottles, supplies, and even a pocket camera. Perhaps the best feature? A removable, insulated lunch bag that sits on a small shelf at the top of the main compartment so it's always easy to access.

$199; Briggs & Riley

Recharged, rested, and ready

Got a perfectly functional older Mac laptop that sits on a shelf, unused, because its battery dies minutes after you open the lid? Don't send it to the tech graveyard just yet. Instead, consider a new battery. FastMac offers fit-and-finish-matching replacements for notebooks from as far back as the original iBook and the Pismo PowerBook, all the way up to the latest MacBook and MacBook Pro models. Even better, each TruePower battery gives you more runtime than the original that shipped with your computer. And the company will recycle your old battery for no charge.